New York Times ranks Mexico City #1 travel destination for 2016

“A metropolis that has it all.” That’s how The New York times describes Mexico City in its latest travel ranking, published just a few days after the newspaper’s editorial board slammed the Mexican government for its lack of accountability.

But tourism and politics are different animals, or at least the Time’s travel editors in charge of this year’s list of Places To Go don’t seem overly concerned about the country’s governability problems. “Certainly, there is no more exciting place to eat,” claims writer Veronica Burnett, who gushes over the city’s trendy neighborhoods and energetic youth.

To compile its annual list of places to go, the NYT solicits pitches from writers in the U.S. and abroad. “After a marathon session (or two), we narrow it down to our favorites, with an eye toward both a geographic and thematic diversity,” said travel editor Dan Saltzstein in a times insider interview.

Though the list is subjective, we agree and celebrate Mexico City’s top ranking for a number of reasons:

A man poses for a selfie during an attempt by more than an estimated 250 people to set a new Guinness World Record for the highest number of people dressed as The Beatles, at Chapultepec Park in Mexico City, Saturday, Nov. 28, 2015. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte)